Relationship Between Jet Lag & Appetite
A long flight can leave travelers feeling fatigued, disoriented, dehydrated or nauseous. Experiencing any of these symptoms after travel may be caused by the phenomenon known as jet lag. Among many others, one commonly reported symptom of jet lag is a general lack of appetite after the flight.
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Symptoms
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Jet lag typically results in a lack of appetite for a few days after travel. The duration of jet lag depends on the number of time zones crossed while traveling rather than distance traveled. A good rule of thumb is to allow one day of recovery for each time zone crossed. Once a more regular sleep schedule for the current time zone is established, lack of appetite and other symptoms should return to normal as well.
Causes
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When traveling through different time zones, the biological rhythms of the body become out of sync. These biological rhythms, also known as circadian rhythms, work as an internal clock responsible for dictating patterns of eating and sleeping. Changes in the external environment, such as daylight or darkness, contrary to the accustomed time zone can give the body false cues about hunger. In most cases, the body experiences a lack of hunger.
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Prevention
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To avoid jet lag, travelers should try adjusting their daily rhythms to the time zones they will be crossing before departure by waking up a few hours earlier and going to sleep later. On the plane, passengers should stay tuned to the local time of the destination city to plan meals and sleep accordingly.
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